


Paying Your Debt in Full

by rdm2



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Blue Stripes live, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rdm2/pseuds/rdm2
Summary: Roche spares Iorveth's life in Flotsam. He does not leave his debts unpaid.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	Paying Your Debt in Full

The rain came down all around them as Iorveth fell. ‘Well, I guess this is it.’ Roche thought, readying his blade.

Iorveth coughed on the ground “Defeated by a dh’ione. I must be getting old... What now?” He looked up at Roche.

He growled “Consider yourself lucky. Though you deserve torture, I lack the means, so I’ll simply lop off your head. You’ll die a warrior's death.” He walked over to the elf.

“I don’t regret a thing” The elf continued to look straight at him, he seemed at peace with himself, making Roche feel distinctly uneasy. 

He swallowed what was going on in this elf’s head, still “Impending death has addled your mind.” 

“I don’t regret that it’s you. After so many years, it would be stupid to die from an accidental bolt in the eye, or worse yet, Influenza...” Well yes, he certainly would prefer to die at Iorveth’s hand than such less dignified ends.

His stomach turned, why hadn’t he killed yet. He tensed hearing something in the distance “Damn, lucky again, your archer's approach. I defeated you once, Iorveth and I can do it again. Remember that.” Why hadn’t he killed them, there was still time, but something stopped him. He turned and left.

As he left, he heard Iorveth say, “We shall see about that, friend, we shall see...”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iorveth begins to push himself up off the muddy ground. Why hadn’t Roche killed him, his men had still not appeared. He whistled, listening. After a moment he heard the reply. Well at least they were there. He braced himself on the nearest tree waiting. 

“Commander, are you okay?” He looked over, ah the twins. 

“Yes fine,” He stood up, “Tesni, Dai report”

“Gwynbleidd helped Roche and the Stripes complete the assault on that thrice-cursed Flotsam Commandant” Tesni replied.

“Oh?”

“That bastard’s dead, so’s his mother. She was making fisstech in the basement.”

“So that’s where it was coming from.”

Dai and Tesni looked at each other. Iorveth glared suspiciously at them. “What else?”

Dai sighed “They found Moril.”

He closed his eye bracing himself for what was to come, “Where?”

“The bastard’s tower, he had been raping her, he made her pregnant with his kid.”

“Fuck, she’s free now at least. Fucking bastard dh’ione I hope he died painfully,” he snarled.

Tensi looked away, “She committed suicide after giving birth, Seherim is gonna raise the kid.” Iorveth swore the air blue, expressing in great detail what he wished would happen to Loredo, and to humans in general.

They stood in silence for a minute after.

“Has her body been taken care of?”

“Seherim is gonna take care of Moril and Cedric’s remains”

Iorveth choked “Cedric?” He shouted stunned.

“Oh, you didn’t...” Tensai coughed awkwardly “He was protecting Foltest’s sorceress Triss from Letho. He made it back to the forest before... Gwynbleidd stayed with him as he passed.”

Iorveth covered his face. “Fuck, this is all my fault, I should have never listened to that viper. How many are dead from my choice. A curse on my head.”

“Commander, was Roche here? We thought we heard his voice so we were heading over...” he trailed off.

“He left a little before you got here. He heard you coming. You may have saved my life.”

“What!”

“We fought, he won, I do not want to talk about it.” He pushed away from the tree. 

“But if he left before you whistled, then he could have easily killed you before we got here!” Dai exclaimed, confused. Tensai elbowed him in the ribs.

Iorveth growled, “I am fully aware of that.”

“But then why...” Dai trailed off at Iorveth’s dark look.

“I’m going for a walk.”

“Have fun...” Tensai offered.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iorveth crept ahead, leading his men silently back to Vergen. They had to get much closer to the Kaedweni’s camp than he was comfortable with. It would not go well if they were discovered at this point. He paused, listening to the chatter of two Kaedweni soldiers who had wandered off to relieve themselves. 

“Yea, didn’t you hear they figured out who the whoreson behind the plot was.” The first man slurred, not quite steady on his feet.

“No, who was it? I’ve got money on Jaques from Daevon. I heard his mother came from much farther south than she claimed, if you know what I mean.” The fool winked and nudged the other in the shoulder, almost toppling him.

Iorveth rolled his eyes and prepared to move on from these two drunk fools.

“No, it was that bloody Termarian, Roche.” He lowered his voice “Henselt rounded his men up and is gonna hang ‘um. He’s still looking for the whoreson though.” 

Iorveth froze, Roche, here? He started to move away before remembering their last fight. Damn it all. Roche had spared his life, there was no other plausible option for what happened that day. And he had looked thoroughly for one. 

He slipped back to his men. “Ciaran” he softly called. His second had barely survived flotsam, and was still healing.

“Yes, sir?” Ciaran walked over to his side.

“You know the trail, take the men and keep going, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Ciaran replied confused.

“I have a personal matter to take care of, I’ll be back shortly.”

“Okay sir,” he said, still confused.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iorveth silently cursed as he crept through the camp, ears pricked for the sound of the stripes voices. This had to be by far the most foolish thing he had ever done in his long life, he thought as he hid behind a tent as more soldiers passed by. He quietly peaked inside, empty. He decided to climb a tree to get a better look. Finding a good tall tree nearby he climbed unnoticed to the top. Figuring out which tent had the stripes was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Except the drunk fools must have been wrong as he could spot the stripes heading towards a tent not too far away. He almost turned away dismissing the fools as fools, but well he had gotten so far, might as well check on things. He snuck over to the tent as he saw a group of soldiers overpowering the stripes. 

Readying his bow he aimed at the leader of the attacking soldiers. One of the stripes, Thirteen, the scout, spotted him and froze, he lifted a finger to his lips, and prayed to gods he barely believed in anymore that he would keep silent. He does, and as the Kaedweni soldier turns around he puts an arrow in his eye, straight through to the back of his head. Darting in he kills two more of the soldiers that were by the entrance, before throwing a nearby chair at a third. He knows he has to kill them quickly before they raise an alarm. 

He snarls, taking them out as fast as he can, he internally bemoaning their lack of skills. After fighting the stripes for so long he kept expecting a higher level of skill from dh’ione soldiers, of course as he says that one manages to kick at his ankle with enough force to injure it. He spins around slicing his throat open. 

The last one, he spits in the dirt, the fight done. He looks at the stripes and they stare back, both equally confused at what to do now.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PT was a bit shaken about what had just happened. How had the Kaedweni soldiers found out what they were planning? If not for Iorveth they would have died. He looked over at the nervous elf, standing gingerly on his one foot. “Okay, we need to get out of here, someone go get Ves and Roche. Iorveth do you want me to look at your ankle, and anyone else hurt?”

A chorus of no’s was his reply except for Iorveth. He looked surprised, but hesitantly nodded, sitting stiffly on a bench. PT kneeled down to look at his foot, slowly taking his boot off, as to not startle him. Prodding at it he determined that the elf was simply bruised, and it should heal in a few days. “When you have a chance, try to sit, it’s gonna feel sore for a while.” Still eyeing him oddly Iorveth nodded. 

PT got back up and paused, “Why?” Why would you save us? It made no sense

Iorveth looked away, “Roche spared my life back in Flotsam, I do not wish for a debt to be standing between us.” He heard one of his men snort, but ignored it.

“Thank-you.” The elf looked at him like he had two heads.

“Don’t mention it, seriously don’t. I don’t want this getting around.”

“My lips are sealed.”

The elf tilted his head, listening to something PT couldn’t hear. “Your leader is returning, I will go.” He starts to leave.

He couldn’t say much, and his accent was shit, but “Va fáill” he tried.

Iorveth turned staring for a minute “Va fáill, maethe taerde, I suppose.” and with that, he slipped away. Geralt, Roche and Ves came in just a moment later.

**Author's Note:**

> Va fáill- Good bye  
> Maethe taerde- Good luck


End file.
